Performance Measures for Multimodal Transportation Systems

Transportation systems analyses have been evolving as the decision context for improvement projects and programs has changed. The increased emphasis on the movement of persons and goods, and a recognition of the importance of system performance measures that address the needs and interests of the audiences for mobility information, will result in a very different set of procedures for evaluating transportation and land use infrastructure and policies. Some of the key underlying concerns of performance measurement for multimodal systems are presented. Definitions are included for congestion, mobility, and accessibility that are used to guide the development of performance measures. Travel time–based measures are seen as the most readily understandable quantities, and examples are used to show how mobility can be measured for locations, corridors, transit analyses, and regional networks.